Hamoud Abu Talib Okaz I am not exaggerating when I say that the dangers to us posed by infiltrators making their way through our southern borders is greater and more serious than the risks that might result from open military confrontations with armed forces and gangs. We all remember our military battle with the Houthis. It was an open war with clear objectives. It only resulted in the death of a few individuals from our armed forces but the thousands of infiltrators who cross our borders every day constitute a more serious threat to our society. The infiltrators will carry with them all their social ills including security threats, criminal behavior and ethical issues. They pose a real threat to our entire society, not only to those living in areas close to the southern borders. News about confrontations between the citizens and infiltrating gangs reported by the media during the past two days were not exaggerated as some people might think. They were real confrontations that do reflect not only the large number of the infiltrators but also their boldness. Readers may not have given special attention to these reports because they were repeated many times in the past to the extent that they have become routine news. The newspapers were inundating us with news stories about thousands of infiltrators who were nabbed daily and returned to the borders. These reports became routine to us like weather forecasts. In fact, these news reflected the real truth. We should have taken them seriously and dealt sternly with the issue on the spot. The news about the influx of infiltrators should have served as a warning bell for the concerned authorities to move fast and put an end to this phenomenon. Regretably, we delayed until confrontations between citizens and infiltrators took place. I am a citizen of Jazan and know the area quite well. I know the southern borders were being crossed by a large number of people from neighboring Yemen. I saw with my own eyes hundreds of them sneaking into the Kingdom through unpaved roads between villages. They even assembled in public gatherings carrying their arms. No one would dare to come close to them for fear of losing his life. Some infiltrators busted houses, stole their contents and beat their inhabitants in broad daylight. This was, however, happening in a limited area but if we consider the wide border regions of Jazan and Asir we can only imagine the magnitude of what a disaster this would be. Yemen is currently passing through political turmoil so we cannot depend on it to help us deal with this serious problem. Our security forces must take on this task alone. They have to protect our society and reduce this danger as quickly as possible.
